The Grand Reunion - We met, we hugged, we conquered...

Wednesday was a normal working day. I went to office, turned in a report and blasted emails. Then, I went home, packed and went to the airport.

Three hours later, I was in Dubai!!!!! M and Il came to pick me up, then we drove back to Masdar City in Abu Dhabi listening to "Give Me Everything Tonight" :D

Masdar City is pretty cool. The PRTs were finally working and it was sort of like the Jetsons as we zoomed away in a driver-less cube.

Next day, we went to IKEA on Saadiyat Island... I had the 1 dirham ice-cream, a hot-dog and a showarma and bought a garlic crusher, a solar lamp (to counter the load-shedding in Karachi) and scented candles... :)

We came back and watched "Due Date" followed by an all-night long girly gossip session.

Spent Friday in Marina Mall (Abu Dhabi), Saturday in Dubai Mall and Sunday in Mirdif City Center... and now I am officially broke :P

The City of Superlatives

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20110404-abu-dhabi-the-city-of-superlatives

Last day in Dubai

We got up bright and early (8:30am) and headed to Dubai Mall (I think I know the way to Dubai from Abu Dhabi better than say... the way to Jinnah Terminal, Karachi from my house :P).

I LOVE DUBAI MALL!!! Saw the Burj Khalifa, took lots of pictures and met up with my Princeton roomie who happened to be in Dubai :) (she's a jet-setter consultant, so I was lucky she happened to be in town that weekend). May, Il, Rana and I went to Bloomingdales and got our make-up done by the saleswomen) and took more pictures (we're girly girls when we're all together :)) and then I had Cinnabon (they really need to open a franchise in Pakistan).

Spent the night at Alex's apartment (Al-Ghoslan at the Greens...) and the next day (Sunday morning), I took a taxi to terminal 3.

Meanwhile, mommy dearest had called to let me know that a cyclone was brewing in Karachi and there could be delays. Anyway, I checked in, got my boarding pass and headed towards dutyfree. Flight delayed to 11:00am... no worries, I thought, I don't have to be back at work till Monday and continued browsing through the shops.

Finally boarded the plane. I had a window seat (thanks daddy) blocked by two young men. After exchanging a few awkward glances, we realized we'd been in the same school until O'Levels and then proceeded to exchange our entire life histories. One of them owns a gold shop in Saddar and the other guy was on his way back after completing his undergrad from Australia. He amused me with his experiences managing a gas station in Australia :P

I watched "How to Train Your Dragon" and an hour and a half later, we were in Karachi, the landing gear was down and I could see patches of green and pools of water (courtesy, Cyclone Phet).

But... THE PLANE DIDN'T LAND and we basically swooped really low and circled back up into the air... Our Pakistani brethren had already gotten up to get their luggage from the racks and sat down back in their seats. 15 minutes later, the captain announced that we were heading BACK TO DUBAI because it was too dangerous to land... I mean, :O :O :O?

So, another hour and a half later, we were basically back in Dubai (no food on the flight and the passengers were getting cranky). I felt particularly sorry for the people who had come from Toronto and London and basically waited 2 days for a connecting flight to Karachi... becharay.

Back at the airport, I surfed the internet, spent my last $200 on almonds and chocolate for Mr. F and perfume for mommy. They gave us food at Burger King but I didn't have an appetite... (like, I wanna go home already!). Finally, the flight departed at 11:30pm and I landed in Karachi around 1:20am... So, 3 flights in a day and lots of fatigue... but my ceramic flower pots from IKEA survived the trip :)

Day 2

Spent the whole day in Abu Dhabi visiting my Masdar colleagues and enjoying the city I called home for 9 months :). So, Masdar City is finally ready and people will actually be living there starting July 2010.

Spent the afternoon at Marina Mall, splurged on ceramic flower pots at IKEA and hand-carried them all the way to Karachi :P. And I got really sweet ice-trays (a pink one for my sister and a green one for my brother) so they'll remember me each time they put ice cubes in their drinks. Also went to Madinat Zayed for old times' sake and bought perfume for daddy and Mr. F.

We dined at a Vietnamese restaurant (sweet potato pancakes and glass noodles with peanut sauce) and headed back to the villa to chat.

I realized that the date palms lining the roads in Abu Dhabi had grown since I'd been away... time flies!

Abu Dhabi/Dubai Trip Part Dieux

Spent Wednesday night at Il's house in Khalifa city (yayyy for electricity and airconditioning :D). I know I sound like a fob but really, after 10 months in Karachi with frequent power breakdowns and water issues, the developed world is like... wow! LOL.

We ate Il's delicious date, banana and walnut cake and watched How I Met Your Mother. Then, we headed to Festival City. I think we were going at 130 miles/hour when there was a hissing noise and the car wobbled... headed to the side of the road and 5 minutes later, a shurta showed up with a big grin on his face. We followed him to a gas station, got the tire fixed and headed towards Mall of the Emirates instead of going all the way to Festival City.

We had lunch at Al-Hallab... great food and pretty reasonable (the fettoush is good). Then, started hard-core pre-wedding shopping (except I ended up mostly buying gifts for my family :)). It amazes me how comfortable I am with a Moroccan, a Palestinian, an Egyptian and a Lebanese girl but I can barely relate to most Pakistan females :O.

We bought lingerie and sleep wear except, I know I'm going to feel super, super awkward wearing it :P (any tips for getting rid of stretch marks and cellulite in 3 weeks?).

Bachelorette Trip to Abu Dhabi/Dubai

It was absolutely FABULOUS!!! And I love my mommy and daddy to bits (best gift EVER) :)

I'd been fantasizing about it for a while but I never thought I'd actually be able to go... My awesome dad had already applied for a visa and booked my ticket. On Wednesday, I got a call telling me to be at the airport for the 10:00pm flight. I went home from work at 6:30pm, showered and started packing with baby sister to help me... (she remembered my toothbrush and dollars for the trip... what will I do without her :S ?)

Mr. F came to say goodbye and then I was off... Independent Gaia on her way to the airport after 10 months... hurrah!

An hour and 45 minutes later, I was in Dubai. Went through the iris scan, bought an Etisalat Ahlan package and walked out to find Il, May and Ra waiting for me... *tears of joy* kodak moment...

So there we were, the four of us cruising down Sheikh Zayed Road at 1:30am, listening to George Michael on the way to Abu Dhabi...

Too Close for Comfort...

Sharjah: A shocking trend is sweeping across educational institutions in the UAE. It’s called same-sex relationships and it’s worrying officials and parents no end.
A number of students, school employees and others confided in XPRESS that inappropriate intimacy among girls is on the rise on campuses.

“They sit intimately close and touch each other inappropriately,” said Umm Rawan, an employee at the Sharjah University for Women (UOS).

The Emirati woman also had to deal with the demon on a personal level recently – first when her 16-year-old daughter fell for an Indian girl and then when her teenage son started receiving overtures from homosexual male students. Umm Rawan lodged a complaint with the school administration. “I am a divorcee and couldn’t handle these things on my own. I feared my kids would become homosexual so I gave them in the custody of their father,” she recalls.

But Umm Rawan’s startling revelation pales in comparison to the scandalous disclosure made by a girl on Abu Dhabi TV’s Step programme some time back.
Badriya, who prefers to be addressed as Bandar (a male name), shocked television audiences across the nation when she openly spoke of her relationship with another girl, Maha, and expressed the desire to marry her and have children with her through artificial fertilisation. “I love my girlfriend and I want to have children with her,” she said on national TV, adding that she would work to support her family.

Prohibited by law

Homosexuality is prohibited in the UAE and violators face stiff punishment.

Authorities are trying to curb deviant behaviour to better reflect the traditional conservative laws of the UAE. Last year the Ministry of Social Affairs launched an awareness campaign called Excuse me, I am a Girl, directed against what was described as ‘the ‘fourth gender’.

Meant to tackle lesbianism-related issues, the campaign included a series of workshops, TV programmes and lectures at universities and schools and was run by the Sharjah Social Care Centre for Women, an affiliate of the ministry. Samira Al Shair, Security Affairs Officer, Ajman Police, who implemented the campaign at Ajman Educational Zone said lesbianism accounted for 40 per cent of the 70-80 per cent of juvenile delinquency cases reported at Ajman schools.

“I dealt with many cases, almost all of which had one thing in common – the absence of a father,” recalled Samira.

More here

I'm tearing up... :'(

Il and M got me a cushion and a cookie:

Farewell

The people at work threw me a farewell today... I feel all warm and fuzzy inside :) We had Arabic food and set up chairs in the lobby. Almost everyone showed up (mostly for the free food :p)!

It's a bittersweet feeling- I'm happy to be going home but at the same time, sad. I filled out the exit clearance form and turned in my work laptop, house keys and i.d. card (sniff), cleaned out my desk, recycled all the paper and took my name tag off... It's been a rewarding experience and I did learn a lot during the course of the year. I'm going to miss some people a lot, others, not so much. I gave Il my wall calendar and mousepad to remember me by and got small gifts for the girls. We did the three-way hug/kiss and exchanged emails and phone numbers but I didn't cry... In fact, I couldn't stop smiling (is that weird?).

I also received my "good conduct certificate" from the Abu Dhabi Police today (200 Dhs!!).

Final steps: do laundry, empty fridge and cupboards, dust and mop house, make cake for security guards...

Min Abu Dhabi ila Dubai bil Bus

My last trip to Dubai was memorable. I woke up bright and early on Saturday and got dropped off at the Abu Dhabi bus station near Al Wahda Mall. Luckily, there was an Emirates Express bus leaving for Dubai in 10 minutes so I hopped in, paid the fare (15 Dhs only!) and settled down with my book. The bus filled up pretty quickly; mostly young men (Indians, Pakistanis and Filipinos).

Since traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road was low on Saturday morning, we made it to Dubai in an hour. I wanted to get off at Mall of the Emirates where I was meeting my friend for lunch but the bus went all the way into Bur Dubai. This is the old Dubai area, the buildings are somewhat dilapidated and run-down in comparison to the bright and shiny "new" Dubai and you hardly see any Arab/Emirati nationals. I got off at Al-Ghubaibah bus station and tried to figure out how I could get to Mall of the Emirates. There were no maps, so I asked the RTA officer for directions. He told me to take the 9D bus to Al-Satwa station and from there I could take another bus to MoE.

Forty minutes later, after roasting in the heat, I boarded the bus to Al-Satwa. Again, I got stared at since I was the only female (weird enough? stupid enough?) to take the bus. The bus ride from Al-Satwa to MoE took another forty-five minutes. By this time, I was tired, hungry, hot and frustrated.

Mall of the Emirates cheered me up :) I met Al (one of my Pton roomies who got transferred to Dubai). We had lunch (creamy soup with warm bread fresh from the oven) and wandered around the mall. Al had to leave early so I decided to head back around 5:00 pm. I ended up taking a taxi to Bur Dubai and from there I took another bus back to Abu Dhabi. This one was filled with Pakistani laborers and again I was the only girl :S.

I know this sounds really mean but they were smelly! It's the weekend... they could have taken a shower and put on some perfume or attar... I've noticed South Asian men have a strong smell; Arabs and Filipinos are generally cleaner and are more particular about personal hygiene (and they don't stare).

Masalaam Dubai!

Saturday Ramblings

In preparation for my impending departure, I am trying to finish up food items in the fridge and I've managed to come up with some strange concoctions. Today, around 11, I had ice cream with whipped cream topping for breakfast... except, the whipped cream turned out to be labneh :P blech.

I took the bus to Madinat Zayed Shopping Center around 2:30pm. It was rather deserted for a Saturday afternoon except for the usual crowd of expat men who have nothing to do on weekends. In winter, they congregate at the Corniche but since it's boiling outside now, they hang out at the air-conditioned shopping centers and ogle at women. There was sale at Ninewest and Charles and Keith but it turned out to be a hoax- they jacked up the prices and after discount, the prices were more or less the same as before :p.

I bought a heavily embroidered table runner for my mom from a handicrafts store. The shopkeeper turned out to be Pakistani but he continued speaking to me in English... In situations like these, I'm always confused. Do I talk in Urdu? Do I appear arrogant/sound like I'm trying too hard to be "western" if I speak in English? Plus, I can't always tell whether a person speaks Urdu/Hindi or Tamil/Malayalam or some other language just by looking at him... some Arabs take offense if someone mistakes them for an Indian; it's quite a dilemma sometimes!

Date-picking in Abu Dhabi

There are date palms all around the area where I work. This one caught my eye because the fruit was red... (usually they're green and turn yellow as they ripen). The heat dries them up, they shrivel and turn brown, ready for picking!

Applebees

Yesterday evening was M's bridal shower. I got her a nice set of crystal drinking glasses and Il and S got her a coffee machine and a blender along with a couple of gag gifts :p. Afterwards we went to the newly opened Applebees in Mazyad Mall.

I ordered a Cowboy burger. It's a huge patty topped with a crunchy onion ring , barbecue sauce, jack and cheddar cheeses and strips of fried chicken (recipe for atherosclerosis :p). This morning, I googled "Applebees Cowboy Burger" to find that it contains 840 calories not counting fries and dip!!! The others got quesadillas and regular sandwiches which were probably slightly healthier...

On top of that, we got complimentary dessert! (added advantage of going out with giggly girlfriends). White chocolate with walnut brownie topped with vanilla icecream and maple butter sauce... sigh!

How to get a Cell Phone in Abu Dhabi

Etisalat and Du are the primary telephone and internet service providers in the UAE. To purchase a cell phone plan/sim card in Abu Dhabi, you will need a copy of your passport and residence visa and fill out an application form. Etisalat offers the Wasel prepaid plan. Onetime registration charges are AED 165 and you can subsequently purchase phone cards or top up online. International calls can be pretty expensive- the international rates for Etisalat subscribers are listed here.

Du is cheaper than Etisalat (a one-time payment of AED 62) and offers a monthly plan- details can be found here. Alternatively, you can purchase the Pay as you Go service (a one-time payment of AED 55).

Note: Du coverage may not be available in all areas.

Public pay phones are available in most areas in Abu Dhabi and accept coins (50 fils and one dirham) and prepaid phone cards, which can be purchased from grocery stores and Etisalat outlets. To make a telephone call to a mobile subscriber within the UAE, dial 050 (for Etisalat) or 055 (for Du) followed by the seven-digit cell phone number. To call a landline number within the UAE and outside Abu Dhabi, you must dial the city code followed by the seven digit telephone number.

Marriage Guidance at the Mall

It's summer in Abu Dhabi and it's hot outside (over 45 degrees C today!) so one goes to the mall to relax after work, read a newspaper, chill with friends at Chocolat, or take the kids out to play (in the airconditioned play area). Now, people can also get marriage guidance at the mall...

The campaign, sponsored by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai, is an attempt to reach people who might otherwise not seek support when faced with marriage or family problems.

The campaign, called “He has put between you affection and mercy”, a reference to a Quranic verse, aims to encourage parents, couples and those about to marry to seek professional guidance and counselling in a bid to reduce divorce rates. According to one survey published by the Marriage Fund, the country’s divorce rate has reached 40 per cent, the highest in the Arab world.

Also yesterday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, ordered that all new shopping centres in the emirate must have mosques and health clinics.

“We decided to do this in a mall in order to reach out to people who would normally be too bashful to enter an official building and ask for help,” said Yousra al Qaoud, the head of religious advisory at the department.

“When the place is comfortable and casual, people relax and open up, and it’s free including the coffee and tea."

I don't know about you but I'd be more embarrassed going to the mall for marriage counselling than going to say, a private clinic...  

 A recent survey by the department showed the most common cause of marital problems was infidelity.

“Especially online infidelity,” said Ms al Muhajeri, who will soon publish a book about online trends in Emirati society and their effect on the family.

“We’ve been hearing about it so much lately. Women especially come to us complaining that their husband spends too much time chatting with women online, or that he visits pornographic sites.”

You can read the rest of the article here.

Thank God It's Friday

The end of yet another week... time flies by so fast! I feel like I arrived here just yesterday and it's almost time to leave...

Today, I met up with a friend K and we went to see Terminator Salvation at CineStar in Marina Mall. It was "noisy," lots of guns and bombs going off and machines fighting humans, humans fighting machines :p. If it wasn't for Christian Bale, I might've slept right through it but I managed to sit through the movie with a semi-interested expression so as not to offend K.

Anyway, after the movie, I had a brownie ala mode sundae from Baskin Robbins with walnuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top (delicious! but I felt sick afterward). Then we walked to Havana Cafe; K had mint sheesha and we talked about oil rigs (K works for an oil company). The floating rigs are called "ships". First, they mark out an area in the sea and pump out the water. After the ship is ready, they let the water back in and push the ship out to where it's needed.

Back at the villa, M and I watched E.T.. It's weird watching a movie you saw as a child through an adult's eyes (I still find his fingers creepy though).

Marriage 101

Mandatory lessons on married life should be implemented at universities in an effort to bring down the divorce rate, a senior family adviser said yesterday.

"When you buy an electrical appliance, you always get a catalogue that teaches you how to use it and work with it. Where is the manual for men and women? How will they know how to treat each other, talk to each other, and respond to each other?"

"I believe we need a family science curriculum to become mandatory in universities in the country."

Mr Darwish also called for more "entertaining" social awareness campaigns, suggesting for example, TV cartoons on the importance of the family to instill sound values. 

Now if guys were like Aladdin, Hercules or Simba (who isn't even human) or girls resembled Princess Jasmine or Ariel, they'd probably have even more unrealistic expectations going into marriage leading to even higher divorce rates :p  

In the UAE, husbands and wives are now akin to electrical appliances :P You can read the rest of the article here.

State of Play

This weekend, I met up with my college roommate in Dubai and we watched State of Play starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck (<3) and Rachel McAdams (from Mean Girls and The Notebook)

After a leisurely lunch at Japengo's (a cross between Japanese food and Arabic food... go figure :p), we wandered around the mall because that's what we do in the UAE. Express is finally open in Dubai!.  

Around 4:00 pm, my relatives came to pick me up. It was awkward... I see them maybe once a year and we have nothing to talk about...  when I was a kid, my parents took care of family stuff; now I'm expected to be my own person and call and visit people and keep in touch with the extended family. So I made polite small talk with my aunt and cousins until we finally reached Abu Dhabi (huge sigh of relief). My cousin, who was driving took three wrong exits and we ended up near the Petroleum Institute and Al-Raha Beach each time. I felt sorry for him... he'd just returned from Boston the day before and was still jetlagged and slightly out of it. 

We had dinner at Lebanese Flower (Zuhrat Lubnan) but it was impossible to find parking, so my cousin circled around in the car while we feasted inside... The food is great and service, decent but it's not the kind of place you'd take your girl on a date :p

Back to work on Sunday (I'm finally used to Sunday being a working day...!).

Beautiful in Abu Dhabi

This past weekend, I went to Al-Lulu Beauty Center opposite Abu Dhabi Mall to get a trim. The salon is run by very efficient, (empowered?!) Moroccan women and patronized by both locals and expats.

Under their abayas, veils and shaylas, local women are dressed in style. Some women also wear a clip-on claw attachment (with feathers or velvet bows) on their hair to give an illusion of volume (almost like a fake bun/head hump) and to keep the shayla in place (mystery solved ;)).

There were a couple of brides getting ready. I was fascinated... Arabic makeup is bold and dramatic: eyebrows (arched high above the eye and plucked thin), multiple shades of eyeshadow, lots and lots of black eyeliner and several coats of mascara, followed by peachy cheeks and full, pouty lips painted scarlet/fuchsia.

Nancy Ajram, a Lebanese pop star is considered an icon of a beauty in the Middle East. She appears on Pakistani tv too!

WOMAD Again

WOMAD rocked big time... The DHOL Foundation is a group based in UK/India. Their music is an energetic fusion of electronic dance beats and traditional Bhangra. Do check them out!